LAS VEGAS - You're at work when you get word of unexpected dinner guests. No problem. Smart appliances to the rescue.

In a world made possible by innovations unveiled this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, you could whip out your smartphone on your bus or train ride home.

You use the virtual joystick to steer your camera-equipped vacuum robot around the living room, activating the speaker to tell the dog to get off the couch.